Denial: It's Not Just a River in Egypt Anymore
by TechnicolorZebra
Summary: When the guys end up sleeping at Peter's after hanging out, it quickly turns awkward for an insomnia-ridden Riley.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hi! I usually don't write any fics in first person, so please bear with me! I mean, the rest of the chapters are in third person, but this one is, like I said, first person. Enjoy the fic! Oh, and Derek and Danny are still friends in this fic, because I felt like it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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If I had known we were all just going to crash here, I never would have come. But now everyone else-Peter, Derek, Danny, and Sav-is sleeping. But I can't.

Something you should know about me is that I have severe insomnia. I sleep for an hour and wake up, then fall asleep again and repeat the cycle. That is, once I actually fall asleep to begin with.

So I'm sitting here while everyone else sleeps. Derek, Danny, and Sav are on the floor. And, just my luck, Peter ended up crashing on the couch. Right next to me.

Fuck.

And I have nothing else to do but watch the boy I have a creepy crush on sleep.

Wonderful.

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2 A.M.

The first thing I noticed about Peter when he sleeps is that he breathes really deeply. Not snoring, but just insanely deep breaths. It sounds a lot like heavy sighing. But not snoring. Derek and Danny are already winning the synchronized snoring award. I fall asleep to the slow rise and fall of Peter's chest.

3 A.M.

Waking up, once again, I note a stinging pain in my ribs. Apparently, Peter kicks in his sleep. Hard. And since I'm lying one way and he's laying the other way, my ribs are right in the way of his feet. Ow. I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but this is repeated, bruising force kicks. What is he, a freaking ninja or something?

4 A.M.

Somehow I managed to fall asleep again, for about ten minutes. But a lot can happen in ten minutes.

Peter moves in his sleep.

So now, he's still on the inside of the couch, kinda curled up so his back is facing the couch and I can see the back of his head. And he's laying the same way as me, looking very comfortable. I'd like to think it's because I'm there, but my mind drifts back to the kiss all those weeks ago and I remember just how much it hurts that he'll never like me back.

5 A.M.

Peter talks in his sleep.

At first it was just a little inaudible murmuring. And then once I was able to hear what he was saying, I notice something very odd: he's speaking Russian. How the hell does he know Russian? I know it's Russian because I was bored one day and read a couple of phrases out of a Russian dictionary. I'm not completely stupid. So more murmuring and then, out of the blue, he says "Riley."

Wait, what?

At first I think he's woken up and I panic. But then I see him roll over and mumble my name again, with a contented sigh and burrow his face unconsciously into my arm.

I'm confused for a bit, wondering why my name would suddenly randomly pop up in Peter's inner monologue. But then I realize; Peter was dreaming about me.

All I know is I can't wait until he wakes up.

A/N: So there was the prologue of sorts! Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey! I know that I'm a terrible slacker and haven't updated in forever, but if anyone still cares enough to read this, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Still don't own. If I did Piley would be together and the show would be a whole lot different.

(Third person focusing on mostly Peter, but with some insight into Riley's)

Peter woke up feeling nicely warm. Like the feeling you have on a Saturday when the sun is shining and you just…lay there, nice and warm in bed. Except he wasn't in bed. He was on the couch.

Remembering the party, Peter suddenly got a sinking feeling in his stomach. He looked up to find Sav, Danny, and Derek still sleeping, considering it was six in the morning. That just left Riley. _Shit. _

Peter looked down to notice that the rather comfortable and warm pillow he had been sleeping on wasn't a pillow, but Riley's arm. He tried to be quiet and move to create a less awkward situation, but the fact that Riley was twice his size kept him pinned to the side of the bed. In his haste to get out of this situation, he ended up banging his head against something. "Ow!"

At this outburst, Peter saw Riley's eyes open slightly. "Um…hi." Peter said.

"Hi yourself."

"This looks weird doesn't it?" Peter asked.

Riley shrugged. "Not really. I already knew you were there."

"How?" Peter said. "What did you do to me?"

Riley's eyes narrowed slightly. "I did nothing. You just have some very interesting sleep habits."

Peter's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"For one thing, I probably have a bruise on my fucking ribs from where you kept kicking me." Riley laughed quietly.

"Sorry," Peter said, his cheeks reddening.

"And you move, hence the awkward snuggling."

"…I was not snuggling."

Riley snickered. "So that was just you're dream carrying over into real life and controlling your body?"

"What do you mean?" Peter said nervously.

"You talk in your sleep."

"I know." Peter said, preparing an explanation in his head.

"Nice dream?" Riley said smirking.

Peter let his head fall down against the edge of the couch so that it hid his face.

"You speak Russian?" Riley asked.

"Fluently," Peter mumbled into the couch.

Another smirk. "Fortunately I was a weird fourth grader who decided to learn Russian when I couldn't sleep. Insomnia."

"So you knew what I was saying?!" Peter asked getting more nervous.

"Yup. You have a very vivid imagination."

A deep blush spread across Peter's face. "I'm not talking to you."

"I also heard my name."

Peter swallowed. He couldn't have this conversation.

"I'm getting up now."

"You'd have to get over me first. Which would lead to me falling off the couch and turning Sav," Riley gestured over the couch, "into a pancake."

"You're an ass."

"I know."

Peter managed to squirm over to the other side of the couch, wrapping his blanket around him, as if he was a child in need of a security blanket. Riley thought he looked gorgeous. He just wanted to kiss him, and make everything better. Instead, he asked,

"Do you like me Peter?"

Peter's eyes closed and he swallowed. "I don't know."

Riley's head was screaming, _"What do you mean you don't know?"_ but in that moment Peter looked like such a scared little kid that Riley decided it was better to just let Peter explain.

"I thought it might have been just a friend crush. Since I haven't really had many real guy friends." Peter began.

"Is it?" Riley asked.

Peter ignored him. "I do like you Riley. But…I can't."

"What do you mean?" Riley questioned.

"Ever since the whole meth thing," he said, slowly, and so quietly Riley had to strain to hear it, "everyone's treated me differently. Danny and Sav only came because they want to be the good guys. Except you. You haven't treated me weird."

"Because you're the same person."

Peter's eyes fluttered shut. "I know that. But…you're my only real friend now. Darcy left. Mia left. You're all I have. I…I need you."

Riley looked at him. "Ok…"

"And since I have terrible luck with love, everyone I end up with leave."

Riley laughed softly. "I'm not going anywhere Peter."

Peter smiled for a moment, just a flash that if he had blinked, he would have missed. "I know. I just…I can't risk it."

"Why did you do it?" Riley asked.

Confusion crossed Peter's face. "Do what?"

"Meth."

Peter's ice blue eyes clouded for a minute. "It gave me confidence. Courage. Crystal courage, some people call it."

"But you're already confident and charming," Riley said, mentally kicking himself for sounding like such a chick.

Peter laughed bitterly. "No, I'm not. I'm just good at acting like I am. I did it because I needed something. Something that would be there for me."

"You have a lot of people there for you Peter."

"Really? Who? Darcy left. My parents left each other. Mia left. It scared the crap out of me. So I turned to something I knew would never leave me."

"I'm here for you," Riley said quietly after a pause.

"I know. But you had…have your own shit going on. Stuff a whole lot more important than my self esteem issues."

"I'm a big boy Peter. I can handle myself."

"No you can't." Peter said softly.

Riley just stared at him

"I've seen your room Riley. How many holes are in there from your fist?"

A pause. "Seven."

Peter smiled. "Exactly."

"Maybe if I had a distraction I wouldn't have had to do that."

"Whatever. Do you get it?" Peter asked. "At least a little?"

"Yeah." Riley said, "I still think it was stupid."

"It was. I'll be the first to admit that." Peter said simply.

"You can trust me Peter."

"I'm trying."

Riley smiled. "Good. And now that we've gotten all this mushy crap off our shoulders…"

"Thank you." Peter said sarcastically.

"Move over." Peter said simply.

Riley watched as Peter moved back into the spot he had been in, including grabbing Peter's arm and using it as a pillow.

"What are you doing?"

"You're comfy." Peter said tiredly. Soon enough he was back asleep for a little while.

Riley just smiled and kissed Peter's forehead, wrapping his arm around him.

So maybe they weren't together. _Yet_, his mind supplied. But it was a start.

A/N: So there you go. A crappy ending I know. But review anyway and tell me the wait was worth it!


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